Also in Dsseldorf during interpack 99, at a press conference sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, heard from Patrick Huffman of Herman Goelitz Candy Co., Fairfield, CA. Huffman discussed the influence of packaging and packaging equipment on his company. Goelitz is probably best known for its Jelly Belly(TM)-brand jelly beans. When that product's sales took off in the 1980s, the company opened the California plant and upgraded it and its plant in Chicago. "Our plants are designed to produce all of the special flavors that we have added over the years. "We can control our quality parameters, blend individual products to produce special flavor mixes and package a broad variety of products simultaneously," Huffman said. "We have added mechanical features and equipment to our plants that are custom-designed in-house because of our unique needs, and we've pushed equipment manufacturers to consider equipment options that will help us as well as others. We focus on equipment flexibility, as well as capacity, because it is very difficult to predict what the consumer will want next." Currently, the company is looking for faster equipment to permit Goelitz to expand capacity. "When we develop a package, we believe that two components must be maximized: The packaging must enhance the consumer's interest in the product, and it must provide adequate protection for the product during its shelf life," Huffman said. As Goelitz has broadened its distribution of Jelly Belly products, new pressure is placed on packaging. "Specialty customers want new package types with unique and specialized tags and in specially marked cases to simplify their store processes. Mass merchandisers want the same products and the same packages at lower prices and delivered to each store, and sometimes in mixed cases. And club stores want multipacks and large-format packages at low-low-low prices and with manufacturers guaranteeing the sale," Huffman reported. Goelitz also makes sample packages, inserts a mini list of flavors, and distributes them at events where consumers gather: golf tournaments, auto races, boat races, etc. "This year," Huffman said, "we will manufacture and distribute 30 million free sample packages. . . product sampling is the surest way to promote consumption." Huffman said that packaging is critical to Goelitz's success, and the company takes packaging very seriously. "We also take seriously the need to have several people think about the various projects that we are involved in all of the time. This focus on discussion and real teamwork lets us move fast and succeed more often."
